Bad Day
by littlespider
Summary: Jesse Cardoza ponders Ryan Wolfe. Not slash, though that would be an interesting pairing...


I personally have not liked how they've been portraying Ryan so far this season. I mean, he was beaten senseless by the Russian Mob… did the emotional scarring disappear that quickly? He just seems too happy, so I did my best to create a little angst.

Oh, sorry, one more thing. OCD is more than just being a super neat freak. It's about little personality quirks that make it hard for you to stop doing or thinking about something. I've never been diagnosed with OCD, but I do recognize that I certain things I do that could be classified as symptoms of the disorder. So for those of you who do have diagnosed OCD, I'm sorry if it doesn't seem like I got it quite right. I'm merely writing from experience.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: If I owned CSI:Miami, there'd be a lot more of Ryan, and a lot less of everyone else. But there's not. Happy?

* * *

CSI Jesse Cardoza was glad to be back in Miami. He had missed the job, missed working for someone as genuine as Horatio. Aside from the fact that the team had some new faces, it was almost as though he'd never left. Horatio and Calleigh hadn't changed much from what he remembered, and Natalia was quick to prove that not only was she sweet, smart, and strong, but single. As for Ryan Wolfe… well, Jesse didn't really know what to think.

Typically, Ryan came across as a nice guy who was just looking for justice for those who'd been harmed. He kept most of his personal information close to his chest, but the more time he spent with Jesse, the more he seemed to open up. Cardoza could tell that there weren't many people who the younger man trusted, and he hoped that one day he could be added to that list.

And then there were the days when everything seemed to get to Ryan. The wrinkles on his shirt, the fact that his pen died halfway through a report and he felt compelled to start all over. When they had accompanied Walter to lunch at a deli a few weeks ago, Ryan had flipped out when he discovered that his sandwich had been made out of two left halves… not one left and one right. Jesse had also noticed that sorting evidence took Wolfe a great deal longer than anyone else. He was normally more thorough, but as far as Jesse was concerned, time was important.

This particular day, everyone had wisely been giving Ryan his space. He had shown up to work late today on account of the power going off in his neighborhood and his alarm clock failing to go off. Ryan was never late. He had been in a bad mood since arriving, snapping twice at two lab assistants who weren't even working on his case. Jesse held his breath as he entered the lab in which Ryan was sifting through evidence.

The other man frowned as Jesse handed him a large stack of papers. "Okay, so, these are the client's financial records. There's 284 of them, arranged by name."

Ryan sighed. "Alright, thanks." He then set the stack down on the table, and proceded to start counting each sheet of paper individually.

"Um, Wolfe?" Jesse gave him an odd look. He was tired of walking on eggshells; what on earth was up with Ryan? "What are you doing?"

"Counting. What does it look like?"

Jesse raised his eyebrows. "But I just told you there's 284 pages."

"Yeah, I know that," Ryan growled, frustration coloring his voice. "I just have to recount them… Alright?"

"Ryan, the pages are numbered."

"You know what?" Ryan glared at Jesse. "I think Calleigh wants to see you."

Jesse looked behind him to see Calleigh looking at him through the glass door. When he turned around, she smiled and waved him toward her. Glancing back at Ryan once, he left the room quickly. The blonde CSI spoke as the door closed. "Do you think I could get your opinion on something?"

"Sure," Jesse answered, following her toward the AV room. Once there, Calleigh launched into a lengthy explanation of how they'd obtained the video feed, and how it was a frustratingly dead end. Jesse tried to pay attention, he really did. The only problem was that he was still trying to figure out how the two extremely different men were both Ryan Wolfe.

"Jesse?" Calleigh's sweet, Southern accent brought him back to reality. "You didn't hear a word I just said, did you."

At least he had the decency to blush and duck his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, Cal."

"What're you thinkin' about in that pretty head of yours?" she asked, giving an amused smile.

"Ryan." He said simply, and watched the surprise filter across Calleigh's face. She obviously had not been expecting that. "I just don't understand him. Just yesterday we were sharing laughs and getting along great, but today it's like he's an entirely different person! Haven't you noticed it, too?"

To his surprise, the other CSI burst out laughing. "Oh, sweetie, that's just Ryan! He's always like that." Her laughter quieted when she saw that Jesse looked more confused than ever. Her tone became more serious. "He hasn't told you?"

"Told me what?"

"That he's OCD." At Jesse's frown, Calleigh continued. "He takes medication and works hard to keep it under control. He has good days, and he has bad days. Unfortunately, there are more bad days than he'd like."

***

"Jesse?"

Turning away from his open locker, Jesse found Ryan standing behind him, his arms crossed and his face serious. "You heading out?"

"Nah, I have to finish some paper work. But I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry I snapped at you today."

"Ryan, listen –"

"No, I'm serious. Calleigh told me she talked to you today, and I just wanted to say that I'm sorry I didn't tell you myself. I guess I'm just so used to everyone around here knowing that I didn't figure having to explain it to you." Ryan shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, the look on his face nervous and slightly vulnerable.

"Don't worry about it, Wolfe," Jesse said. And he mean it; Ryan couldn't help it, so there was no point in getting mad over it.

"So we're good?"

Jesse smiled and nodded. "Yeah we're good."

Looking relieved, Ryan smiled back and headed for the locker room door. After a moment's pause, Jesse called out to him just as he was walking out the door. "Hey, Ryan!"

"Yeah?"

"Next time you're having a bad day, tell me. Whatever I can do to help, I'll do it. Seriously."

"Thanks."

* * *

First try ever at writing Jesse Cardoza. Review?


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